Dark Desires
by Hinata HyuUchiha
Summary: (Sequel to Breaking Down) Something wasn't right with him. He felt his body resisting his mind. So in order to gain full control, he decided to destroy someone special who seemed to have survived...unknown to him that there was someone else after him as well. (A lot of dark themes and violence.)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Rebirth

The night was filled with clouds of an oncoming storm as Beast Boy limped out of the warehouse but right now nothing could bring this shape-shifter down!

He was lucky to escape his previously apparent death due to his quick thinking and he grinned to himself.

If only his body wouldn't hurt so much…

The changeling stumbled forward awkwardly and supported himself against a streetlamp before he walked slower this time. But the pain didn't let up and his feet felt heavier with each step before he collapsed onto the hard asphalt.

The only thing that he saw were small raindrops as they began dropping steadily onto the ground before him before his sight turned dark…

Had he…lost the battle in the end?

The floating feeling he experienced told him so as well as the darkness around him. This was just great!

Just when he had gotten rid of that nuisance he had to just die – talk about bad luck!

"…needs time…"

The faint voice that hummed in his head got his attention and he strained to hear more. There was silence for a moment, only gentle beating sounds audible – wait, beating sounds?

'…get better…"

The voice was a bit louder now and the shape-shifter registered the sounds of footsteps moving away from him before the sound of a closing door reached him. Heavy eyelids slowly opened and blurred white danced in front of him before the image sharpened and a ceiling came into view. It was then that he realized that the beating sounds from earlier was his heartbeat – he was still alive!

This realization hit him like a brick and he forced the pain that was still in his system into the background before bolting upright – and whining as pain shot up his body. He slowly dropped back onto his pillow before glancing down at himself and noticed that his upper body had been wrapped in bandages.

With those slash marks engraved in his skin, it was a miracle he had even managed to walk out of that warehouse!

His eyes now wandered over the room he found himself in and he only spotted a small night table with a vase with a tulip inside as well as some medication in the form of small pills – and of course, the window. The room itself wasn't particularly big and the shape-shifter soon found himself to be bored and he spotted a small device next to the vase with the flower. He narrowed his eyes, trying to push the throbbing of his head into the background before he slowly reached for the device and spotted a single button with a bell symbol on it.

So he was in a hospital.

"So she's going to be alright, right?"

Beast Boy moved his attention to the door, hearing that awfully familiar voice and a frown appeared on his face.

"I can only say that she is out of danger zone but she needs her rest to really get better," an older female's voice sounded from behind the door, probably the nurse or so. But the changeling definitely knew who the other girl was. It was Amber and she was most probably worried about her other friend, Dionne.

Yet, another thought crawled into his mind and Beast Boy found himself back into sitting position. He was unable to find a certain blonde-haired girl after he went to look for her in the school…and he couldn't help but think that maybe…it was Terra that Amber had asked about.

He scoffed at that thought. He had looked for her everywhere – there was no way she could have survived…unless she found a way out.

Sudden curiosity sparked within him and the changeling, slowly managed to get off the bed before he realized that his arm was hooked up on an IV tube and without a second thought, he simply pulled the end of the tube that was inserted into his arm out before walking towards the door on slightly shaky legs and leaning his ear against it.

Just then, he heard a door close and his frown deepened.

Now he couldn't hear a thing!

Soon, impatience took the better of him and he slowly opened the door, peeking both ways to check if the hallways were empty.

They were but the sounds of footsteps that were constantly audible in the distance annoyed him – how was he supposed to get out of his room with all those nurses walking around like guard dogs?

It didn't take the shape-shifter long for an idea to pop into his head. Closing his eyes for a moment, the changeling tried concentrating his energy into the form of a small fly…and albeit with some pain, he managed to do it. The realization of still being able to shape-shift in his current state propelled the fly forward as it was on the lookout for the room Amber had entered.

Suddenly a door opened, almost hitting the green fly full-force before it managed to change direction in the last moment. The insect placed itself somewhere on the wall next to the door and saw that a nurse walked out…followed by a reluctant Amber that stopped before the door.

"And you are sure she can be released in a week?" Amber asked worried and the nurse checked her clipboard before glancing back to the red-head.

"I said 'at the earliest' and that only if she gets enough rest."

Amber blushed embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry. I just don't want her parents to worry anymore."

"I've seen them leave just an hour ago. Ever since she was sent in, there wasn't a day where her parents haven't visited her - sometimes for up to 4 hours. So I can understand why you're so worried. But sometimes it's best if the patient is left alone," the nurse gave a small smile before continuing her walk, followed by Amber as she raised another question.

Beast Boy had no interest in their conversation and slipped through the gap between the door and the floor to make sure if it was the girl he thought it was.

The room was lit with fluorescent lights and the only sound that broke the silence was the occasional sound of thunder that raged outside. The fly approached the bed in the corner, placing itself onto the foot of it and onto the blanket.

His initial thought was proven right – on the bed was Dionne, soundly sleeping, low and steady breathing indicated by the rise and fall of the blanket. Her head was wrapped in a white bandage and the arm that was peeking out from under the blanket had a tube similar to the one Beast Boy had removed earlier plugged into it.

The fly moved away from the foot of the bed before morphing back to human before his gaze fell onto the dark-skinned girl once again – it was a disapproving look.

He thought he had it all planned out. He had waited for a good opportunity to strike – a strike that would make sure that was fast and hard enough to send her onto the street in the collision course of an approaching car.

But either he hadn't planned out well enough or this girl was tougher than she looked and she had escaped death with a mere concussion. He had thought for only one of Terra's friends to die so the other might deliver his message to Terra…and to leave a more lasting impact on her.

But now he knew he had to get rid of this girl not because of Terra but because she could be a problem – she and that red-head.

The green shape-shifter moved closer as his eyes searched for any kind of tool that would aid him in removing the girl from existence while she was still in dream land. But except for some medication and a glass of water there wasn't much to find.

The changeling frowned, realizing he was running out of options. There was no way he would risk letting any of his DNA be scooped up from animal fur or whatever. He had seen enough movies to know that he had to avoid leaving any traces of himself if he didn't want to be locked up. So morphing into any animal was out of the question!

But what could he do now – without any weapon or claws, he wouldn't be able to do much damage?

He clenched his hands angrily before his anger vanished into surprise and he lifted said hands before a mischievous smirk formed on his face.

All this morphing would have probably been too noisy anyways.

He stopped in front of the girl's face – he never liked her – not her and not Amber. They were so snobbish and overprotective over Terra; it annoyed him to no end. They were just like many other people that would pass him in the streets – they think of him as a freak with his green skin and pointed ears.

But now they might know that he also had some handy powers because of it.

Silently, he dropped himself onto the bed, looming above the still sleeping girl before his gloved hands wrapped around her throat. The girl stirred only slightly, eyebrows furrowing slightly before she voiced her discomfort at having someone's weight on top of her. The gloved hands began their work, fingers and palms pressing ever tighter against the windpipe and Dionne blinked her eyes open in a daze.

"What…the-"

The shape-shifter felt strange excitement run through him as he took in the widening eyes of the dark-haired girl under him and he knew exactly what was running through the girl's mind – she was scared of him – and this thought only fueled him further and he leaned closer to her and saw her visibly trying to sink further back into her pillow before her hands shot up to his wrists, trying desperately to get him off her.

"I thought I might drop by to see how you're doing. You really look out of shape," he whispered and pride filled him, seeing her lower lip quiver.

She let out a pained and fearful whimper and tried to gain help from her legs. Since when was this guy so heavy? "Let…g-go-"

The changeling raised a curious eyebrow at the angry sounding growl that somehow managed to leave her lungs – but he knew she was just pretending, no matter how much she squirmed, she wouldn't escape him any time soon. "What was that? Speak up," he mocked with a sneer and her eyes narrowed almost immediately before her eyes widened for a moment, realizing that her strength was slipping as her hold on his arms loosened.

Dionne let her eyes wander around and then she saw her sanctuary – on the night table was a pager, the long device with its single button silently calling out to her. Her sight turned blurry when she let go of his arms with one of her hands to try to reach out for the device.

Her hand managed to touch the object before Beast Boy had the chance to interfere – but to her horror, her fingers were the only thing that brushed against it and caused it to fall to the floor.

"I guess you've lost your touch," the green boy above her sneered before she registered the faint sounds of footsteps.

And in her dazed state, Dionne heard the door open before someone called out to her. The shape-shifter turned to see Amber standing in the doorway in utter shock before her eyes stopped on the device on the floor. Beast Boy narrowed his eyes as Amber rushed forward to reach for the device and he knew he couldn't risk being seen by any of the hospital staff and morphed into a fly and flew out of the open door.

He wasn't in any danger – he was a Titan and it will take more than 2 girls to even put him behind bars. By the time he reached outside, it was raining cats and dogs and the Titan morphed into human, knowing he couldn't fly in this weather. Luckily, it didn't take him long to find shelter as his eyes rested on a rather rundown apartment in the distance and he read the neon sign: 'Motel'.

He fumbled inside his belt pockets and a smile formed on his face, feeling some change and he pulled said money out. Judging from the motel's appearance and the few bills and coins in his palm, he had about enough for 2 nights or so.

He decided to finish with what he had started tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: First day

There was only a single bell next to the entrance door and the sound it emitted wasn't particularly loud when Beast Boy pressed said button but it took only just about one second for the door to open and for him to be let in. The 'lounge' consisted only of a rectangular table close to one side of the rather small room-like hall and two wooden chairs around a smaller round table on the other side.

The shape-shifter walked over to the rectangular table and pressed onto a silver, albeit rusting bell before a girl with long, dark locks poked her head up from behind the table.

"How much do you have on you, kid?" she asked as she chewed on her gum before making a large, pink bubble.

The green boy didn't like it being called kid but shrugged it off with a smug expression. "I don't think you would charge much for a dog pound, would you?"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Let your cash answer that, brat," she growled in a low voice and Beast Boy pulled out the money and placed it onto the table and the girl scoffed. "You know that's barely enough for 3 days – and your parents are not included. Unless…you're some runaway," she replied and grimaced slightly and Beast Boy found himself hating this girl more and more by the minute.

"Didn't you just say that money talks? So take it and give me the key already," Beast Boy demanded and held out his hand to receive said object before the girl let another pink bubble pop.

"You know we don't have showers here," she said disapprovingly, referring to his drenched form. "And this place here is not exactly kids friendly but since you insist, I'd like to watch you run back home screaming for your mommy," she smirked and went to pick up a key that hung on a nail by the wall and dropped it into his outstretched hand.

The shape-shifter glanced at her with a scowl. "And I'd like to watch you choke on your gum," he murmured before he went up the stairs and opened the door to room 4.

The suite was as rundown as the outside of the motel with its yellow walls, dusty night table and the small, dirty window that barely let any light into the room. There was no air conditioner in the room, the air was stale, and the blanket looked as if the last time it had been washed was during World War 2!

What a dump! He couldn't believe he had just emptied his pockets for a place like this!

But he felt too exhausted to request his money back, even less get angry. The young titan dropped himself onto the bed, ignoring the squeaking springs underneath and curled up before closing his eyes. And it didn't take long for him to forget his still hurting body as he was transported into deep sleep...unknown to him that his arm was still bleeding from when he had removed the IV tube and he had left a trail of blood on the floor for others to follow.

Meanwhile Amber was back in the waiting room of the hospital and she stood up when finally the nurse from earlier approached her.

"So, Amber, could you tell me now why you called from Dionne's pager? You know that only patients are allowed to use them," she said sternly and the red-head looked aside.

"Dionne…" Amber said slowly but didn't know what to say. Who would believe her if she said that one of the Titans had just tried to kill her best friend? "…she was in trouble," she said with a lowered gaze when her eyes fell onto her bandaged hand…and she realized that she had to say it!

Titan or not – he had tried to kill an innocent civilian and she was sure he would try again!

Amber lifted her gaze to the nurse's face and her voice was more determined. "One of the Titans attacked her – Beast Boy I think was his name."

The nurse looked in surprise at her. "A Titan?"

Amber stood up from her seat, anger suddenly fueling her. "When I came into the room, I saw him on top of her – and he had his hands around her throat – he was definitely trying to choke her!"

The nurse didn't speak at first, her mouth slightly open in shock at the words that left the girl's mouth before a small smile replaced her surprise. "Why would he want to do such a thing – he's a hero, isn't he?"

"He was! He just attacked my best friend!" Amber said vehemently and the nurse placed her finger on her lips to signal that she had to be quiet.

"I can understand how you feel but it's completely unnecessary. He is hospitalized himself," the nurse smiled and Amber stared with wide eyes.

"Hospitalized?"

The nurse motioned for Amber to follow her and they reached his room he was stationed in and the nurse opened the door…to find an empty bed.

"See? That should explain everything," Amber said with arms crossed over her chest.

But she was beyond shocked to find out that the nurse was smiling at her.

"This just explains that he takes his job seriously – just like a hero. I just hope he won't come back here in a worse state than before," the nurse said, bringing a hand to her lips.

Amber tore her eyes away from the delusional hospital staff member and stared at the empty bed. So if it was true that he had been hospitalized before attacking Dionne, then that meant that…she had completely underestimated the green guy – and this fact scared her even more.

But the worst part was that nobody would believe her that something was definitely wrong with him.

The shape-shifter woke up the next morning, feeling refreshed even if he was far from healed. He raised a confused brow as he saw one of his arms bandaged with a red circle staining part of it when he stretched but decided it was unimportant. But the first thing he did decide was to get breakfast.

Unfortunately, he didn't have any money on him which meant that he had to…steal. If it would be his other half, then he would rather have preferred working next to slaughtered animals to earn some cash. But he wouldn't fall as low as that – he had no problem with simply taking the things he needed.

Not wanting to risk causing a scene when he would hurt the rude receptionist (which was very probable with her annoying comments), Beast Boy opened the window of his room, letting bright sunshine illuminate the dark apartment before morphing into a dove and flying out.

Now what to eat – pancakes, cereals, or maybe just some fruit?

He decided for cereals and dropped down in front of a supermarket as he turned back into human. The young titan wasn't sure if his status as titan would give him free food and so morphed into a mouse and as a mother with her kid approached the sliding doors and they opened, he quickly scurried inside after them.

The supermarket was of average size with 3 aisles of nutrients of various shape, size, and color and the mouse started with the right one, always keeping close to the shelves as to avoid landing under someone's foot. The first aisle was a miss as it only contained shampoo, dishwashing products and things like tissue boxes and toilet rolls.

The mouse moved around the corner, avoiding several feet with quick reflexes and near the end on the aisle, he found the bright cereal boxes but unfortunately, they were on one of the upper shelves and in his current state, he wouldn't be able to reach them.

He had actually decided to just somehow slip into the box and have a little snack instead of wasting his time in trying to scavenge for some cash to pay for it…but he was sure people might see him if he tried to morph here and he really didn't need any extra attention.

Beast Boy sneaked around the aisle and was lucky that the other side was deprived of people and in one moment, morphed back to human before walking back and taking one of the boxes from the shelf.

Let's hope the cashier would look away this time.

"Mind if I borrow this? I must have lost my change while fighting the HIVE," he chuckled, pretending to be embarrassed but it wasn't the cashier that hindered him at leaving right away.

"Wait, isn't this Beast Boy?" a woman said surprised and the shape-shifter turned around to see the people that stood in line giving him surprised looks while some others spoke in hushed tones.

"What? Don't tell me this is the first time you've seen a hero?"

He couldn't believe how dumb the citizens are – have they forgotten who he is?

"Beast Boy!" someone called and he turned around again to see a small group of people approach him hastily. "Could you please tell us what happened to your friends? What happened to Robin when the tower exploded?"

Beast Boy was taken aback by that question and he didn't like where this was going.

"Do you know who set the bombs?" a brown-haired woman asked and Beast Boy flinched as a camera flashed.

"No."

"Where were you when it happened?"

"I was busy so I have no idea how it happened," the shape-shifter replied and forced himself through the crowd but they followed right behind him.

"Could it have been Slade – a new apprentice of his?"

Beast Boy stopped walking for a moment, feeling his anger rising. Were reporters always this annoying?

"I told you I don't know."

"But don't you want to avenge your team? Don't you miss them?" a man asked this time before more flashes appeared in his field of vision.

Avenge them? He had wanted to get rid of them! No way would he miss them – a team that only thought of him as a back-up, as some sort of comic relief, as only a part of the teen titans, not team member.

He would never miss them!

"Am I supposed to?" he asked, still not facing the group of reporters before a few walked around him.

"Well, you were their friend so it would be only plausible if you answered with 'yes'-," a man said with a hint of disappointment before the woman interrupted him.

"Don't you think that sounds heartless? Didn't they treat you like family?"

And with that sentence, something inside the shape-shifter snapped and he whirled around and lunged at the lady in wolf form, knocking her onto the ground, growing menacingly into her fearful face. Her camera lay shattered on the ground next to her and Beast Boy even thought of breaking all the other devices…before breaking them if they decided to be even more persistent.

"I-I…didn't mean to make it sound like that. I only wondered why you're the only one alive," the woman stammered with wide eyes and the shape-shifter relished in that expression before glaring and snarling at the other reporters and he enjoyed it when they took a step back out of fright.

The wolf got off the woman before morphing into human. "I won't let something as small and as trivial as 'family' distract me from what I'm supposed to do," he said, his voice cold and loathing.

After all, he still had a score to settle with 2 certain high school girls.

He narrowed his eyes at the group of reporters and he could almost sense their fear. "Any more questions?" he growled, stretching the words to bring his point across and he was pleased to see that some of them shook their heads before they hurried out of the door.

The woman was the last to leave, giving one last look at Beast Boy before she vanished as well.

The shape-shifter picked up his cereal box and silently left the supermarket with the citizens staring after him in shock.

If only they knew…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Close call

Beast Boy had decided to stop in Jump City Park and was currently seated on a bench as he had finally started to get his fill.

Feeling considerably energized with energy, the shape-shifter's thoughts were drawn back to his mission and he dumped the cereal box into the closest trashcan before he took off in the direction of the hospital.

He found himself getting increasingly impatient as he tried the fastest shortcut he knew – he couldn't wait for those annoying girls to literally move out of his life.

The changeling was soon in front of the building and perched as a dove onto one of the hospital windows. He peered with dove eyes inside and saw an older man sitting in a wheelchair with his back facing the window.

Wrong room.

He flew further to the right, landing on the windowsill and once again surveyed the inside. This time it was a rather large woman lying on the bed, probably still asleep. The dove flew off to the next room, wondering if he had any luck in finding the girl at all.

Maybe she was already released.

But it didn't come this far.

Inside the next room, he noticed the dark-skinned girl silently sleeping. Seems like she was still in bad shape. The dove searched the window for any way inside but found it to be sealed tight. So he just waited for the girl to wake up to see where he could take her by surprise.

And as if that thought was like a fortune cookie, the girl slowly stretched and sat up before moving out of the room with slow steps.

Beast Boy wasted no time and morphed into a mosquito and flew in the same direction she walked before entering the building from an open window. Half-way through another patient's room, he morphed into an ant and slipped through the gap between the door and the floor. Seeing the dark-haired girl on his right, he followed her, this time as a fly, dodging one or two nurses and doctors as they hurried through the hallway.

Dionne disappeared at the end of the hallway behind a door to her left and the fly stopped, seeing that the door had swung closed.

He wouldn't be able to get through as a fly but he could always blend in as a cockroach. Once more did the shape-shifter make use of the gap just under the door and slipped inside as a cockroach.

There was a short passageway before he found himself in a slightly larger hall with several sinks, the mirrors lining one side of the hall and 3 bathroom cabins on the opposite side.

A sudden surge of excitement filled him when he spotted the girl by one of the 3 sinks, letting her hands fill with water before splashing her face with it.

The cockroach moved only two steps behind her, watching for a moment – allowing the girl to refresh herself one last time before she would leave this world.

Dionne let out a sigh, feeling the throbbing in her head get slightly weaker but she was still having trouble seeing right as sometimes, she'd see double. Squeezing her eyes shut, the girl gripped one side of the sink and slowly, that dizzy feeling began to subside.

The cockroach vanished to become the sinister Titan and he saw his chance to strike, seeing how the arm of the hand that had clutched the sink was shaking a little.

This is gonna be child's play!

Beast Boy closed the gap between him and the girl before Dionne lifted her head to look into the mirror.

Everywhere was white – and endless, calm white. Everything had happened so suddenly, she didn't even think any of this was real.

"…en. You…ne. ath…"

The soothing sound that suddenly slipped into the endless silence calmed her – and for a moment, she didn't even care what happened. She wanted to hear this wonderful voice forever – it made her forget her fear.

She couldn't remember what had happened but she did remember that she had been afraid – it was a fear she had experienced before but this time, it was even greater.

"…calm."

She realized it was a woman's voice that echoed through the endless white and she felt her fear diminish even further.

But what did she mean with 'calm'?

"…be alright."

She tried to be alright but how could she if she couldn't see anything and she tried hard to get some of her other senses to work. But somehow it only gave rise to a fuzzy, floating feeling inside of her and she felt like she was underwater.

Where was she?

Why was this voice not trying to help her?

The white slowly dimmed and for a moment she thought that she was moving…but it was more like a 'fade out' effect until all white was slowly replaced with black – with eternal, enigmatic darkness.

And at the same time, the fuzzy, floating feeling in her body began fading and she tried to make herself heard before the darkness would swallow her up as well.

"W-where…am…I?"

It surprised her that she could hear her voice, even if it was faint and weak.

And for the first time, the voice seemed to answer her.

"You're in Azarath, Raven!"

Hearing her mother's voice say her name caused her body to receive a hundred volt shock and Raven's eyes snapped open.

"My friends-"

Seeing her mother smile with such sadness and relief at her, brought tears to her eyes before Arella's voice spoke once more.

"You're the only one awake," she said slowly, and the words were the second shock before the emotional, mental, and physical pain in her system sent her back into darkness.

And this time, no voice reached her ears.

As soon as the dark-haired girl had gotten a bare glimpse at her face, she felt something touch the back of her head before she hit the mirror full-force, shattering it.

The girl let out a painful cry, as the glass bruised her face and she froze, hearing a voice speak very close to her ear.

"I wouldn't go out wandering by yourself if I were you."

The girl's eyes widened to the size of eggs, hearing that voice come back to finish her.

The changeling turned her around, slamming her still weak body against the wall, eliciting another, weaker cry from her and he gave her a smug grin. The girl narrowed her eyes at him from the pain that had doubled with her crash into the mirror and knew that her face as well as her head was bleeding as the wound from her concussion reopened.

"W-what…do you want?" Dionne groaned, squeezing her eyes shut from the pain.

"Remove pests like you," Beast Boy replied, increasing his pressure on the hold of the girl and Dionne threw an awkward punch at him but he merely slammed that hand against the wall.

He finally had her where he wanted…and her friend wasn't going to save her this time.

Dionne took hold of his hand that had begun to wrap around her throat in a sudden motion, trying to pry his fingers off. But one hand wasn't enough to stop him.

Slowly, he lifted the girl until her feet hovered just above the ground and she tried kicking them to get free but she was still too exhausted so her kicking seemed more like twitching.

"Any last words?" he asked, feeling her grip in his fingers slip little by little before he laughed at his own joke.

But then something caught his eye – Dionne's index finger kept moving as if it was trying to press an invisible button on her fist that was still held against the wall.

He forced her fist open…before a long device fell to the floor – her pager!

She had called for help!

But what were the chances that anyone might find her in time?

"Too bad you're too late," he smirked, knowing that Dionne couldn't be able to hold on any longer as her last groans of protests left her lungs along with the rest of her oxygen.

Suddenly he heard the door swing open and when Beast Boy had turned around, he was met with an umbrella onto his chest that knocked him backwards. He recovered fast to see Amber helping Dionne up and rushing out of the bathroom together.

But that setback didn't really annoy him.

He knew that Dionne would greatly hinder her friend in their escape and in a way; his animal instincts were actually fond of this turn of events.

Hunting the prey only makes the kill sweeter.

"Get a grip on yourself!" Amber called to her friend, supporting her with her arm before rushing up to a nurse that passed them by. "One of the Titans – he attacked my friend just now. He's after us!"

The nurse looked confused before glancing behind them. "Are you sure? I don't see anyone."

"He won't come to attack us directly of course!" Amber growled before the nurse looked alarmed.

"We better fix that up," she said, pointing to Dionne's face. "Let's get you cleaned up," she said and walked ahead, expecting them to follow her.

They did…until she turned the corner. Amber suddenly spun back in the other direction and ran all the way to the exit before pushing the doors open and stepping onto the side-walk.

"Where are we going?" Dionne asked, still weak in the vocal cords.

"Away," was all she said before turning into an alley.

A distant cry of a hawk alarmed them and they did another turn left, walking under several balconies so the hawk would lose them before turning right into a much narrower alley, where not even cars had the space to park.

But unfortunately, a wired fence blocked their path before they registered footsteps coming closer. They spun around to see the shape-shifter standing in front of them already.

"Who wants to go first?"

"Don't you mean-"Dionne got cut off when Amber placed a protective arm in front of her.

"Want a piece of me?" she growled before lifting her fists and Beast Boy laughed at her.

"You seriously know how to throw a punch? I bet you can't even throw your homework into the trash."

Amber charged with an angered cry but the changeling side-stepped before knocking her against the fence.

"I'm the one you want," Dionne called and charged as well but the shape-shifter took hold of her fist before throwing her against Amber in gorilla form.

Amber tried to get up but was interrupted when she felt the changeling's foot on her bandaged hand, sending a jolt of pain through her body.

"What do you prefer? Elephant or T-Rex?"

Amber narrowed her eyes, realizing that he gave her a choice on how he would crush her already damaged hand and it disgusted her. "How about you turn into a fly and buzz off. Or me and Dionne will call the cops on you," she growled, trying to sound convincing.

"I'm not sure she can call anyone," he said, pointing in her direction and Amber's eyes filled with tears, seeing her friend lifeless on the ground with blood soaking through her bandage.

"Dionne? Dionne, get up!"

The changeling decided to end her while she was still fixed on her friend, deciding for T-Rex. But then out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement – movement of a girl on the other side of the fence as she passed the alley.

Beast Boy gaped for a moment, thinking his eyes had tricked him as he saw blonde hair peeking from under the cap and blue eyes shining beneath its shadow that fell on her face.

"Terra?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Survival

For one second, time seemed to have slowed down and as fast as she had appeared, she had vanished. He was so focused on finding her that he had mistakenly thought of a random girl as Terra and dismissively shook his head.

Amber's crying brought him out of his thoughts and he noticed how she had tried to lift Dionne up, cradling her in her arms.

"Please wake up! W-wake up! We…gotta go!" she pleaded her unmoving friend but her desperate expression told him that she knew she wouldn't wake up.

Beast Boy stepped over to the crying girl and it took her a while to notice him standing over her and the green shape-shifter morphed into a growling panther and raised his paw to tear the red-head's skin apart.

But somehow…he was hesitating, the paw remaining lifted into the air.

What was happening?

He felt no amount of remorse at what he was about to do and yet, he had stopped moving. Giving out an angered snarl, the panther dropped his paw towards the retreating girl, catching her in her shoulder as opposed to her stomach and she rolled on the ground from the hit. The girl gripped her wound, staining her healthy hand with her blood as ragged breathing escaped her.

The panther decided for one more attack, knowing it would be the last.

But despite his wish to kill, he didn't move at first.

What was wrong with him?

The panther vanished to become the boy as something inside his head prevented him from attacking – it was his own voice.

"Terra…"

The green eyes widened at the mention of her name – his voice was filled with desperation…but also hope.

Hope? He had never been hopeful and it utterly confused him why her name had such an impact on him.

"Terra…"

The voice was getting louder and more persistent and the shape-shifter held his head, trying to force his voice out of his mind – he had to focus on the girls before him!

But he couldn't get the image of the girl that had just passed him out of his mind – it was driving him insane! With an angry growl, the boy turned to a wolf and leaped at the girls…only to hit the fence.

He noticed that Amber had managed to drag her friend through a small opening on the left side of the fence and the wolf narrowed his eyes at their retreating form before leaping at the fence as a chimpanzee.

Amber carried her friend piggyback style and had just turned the corner before the pain in her shoulder became unbearable and she dropped to the ground.

The monkey vanished as soon as he saw the two girls on the ground and Beast Boy found himself again struggling with his body and he fisted his shaking hands before he calmed down.

"Go…"

Go where?

Beast Boy spun around before he realized what was wrong with him – somehow, his other half…was still alive. He was somewhere inside of him – weak but still present.

He stared down the street, knowing what he had to do to destroy his other half. The dark titan morphed into a crow before taking off into the air, his eyes on the lookout for the one that could help him fulfill his task.

The streets were crowded and after a while the crow dropped on the ground in an alleyway and morphing into human and walking back along the main street. His eyes darted back and forth between men, women and teens as they went their own way, always on the lookout for that beige cap, blonde hair and those deep blue eyes.

He frowned and his search became slightly more frantic and his steps increased their pace as he passed yet another crossroad. Where was she?

Could it even be that this was not Terra…and the voice he heard in his head wasn't his other self…but merely something he wanted to hear?

His steps slowed a bit as that thought kept reeling in his mind. There were so many instances where Beast Boy showed a little bit of his obsessive side – especially when it came to the former Titan. Where the others have given up – where even she herself had given up – he would still fight on.

Just like now – he would do everything he could to find her. And then he would remove his weaker self with her aid. When she had remembered, he felt the emotional shock of his other self like he had been in the middle of an explosion.

It wouldn't be long until he would vanish forever – he would make sure of that.

He let out a sigh as his eyes were still unable to find the girl he was looking for and he turned a corner when his eyes opened wide, seeing blonde hair and a beige cap flashing for a moment in the distance and Beast Boy shoved his way through a group of giggling girls before they called rude comments after him. But Beast Boy only focused on the girl in the distance and quickened his steps before he decided to keep distance and just wait to see where her destination was.

He had to surprise her after all.

He continued to follow her with his eyes as she turned into another alleyway and he increased his pace, always trying to get a bit closer to her.

And suddenly, she stopped before reluctantly turning around and Beast Boy could avoid being seen by morphing into a green squirrel and hiding behind a tree that grew on the side of the alley. She cocked her head in confusion, probably having the feeling of being stalked and the shape-shifter was…impressed by how perceptive she seemed. But her suspicion was of short duration and she continued walking before reaching the main street.

The squirrel continued following her, stopping briefly every once in a while behind a tree, as to avoid being too obvious. His eyes roamed over the girl's appearance – a simple navy blue t-shirt and brown shorts as well as light brown combat boots.

But what held his gaze was the backpack that was slung over her shoulder.

Why did she have it – especially since her school was destroyed?

What was inside of it?

His curiosity increased with each step and another thought crept into his mind.

Had Terra decided…to run away again?

The changeling found himself smiling at all this irony. He had finally made her remember her life…but instead of accepting who she is, she kept running from herself – over and over again.

So maybe…telling about her fear is not enough to make her accept herself – maybe he had to show her instead. After all, people show their true self in time of need.

Beast Boy quickened his steps further, his eyes fixed on the mysterious bag as he had begun to form a plan on how he could show her that there was no more escape. And he found his solution in something very simple – all he needed was a single push in the right direction.

He couldn't help but grin at that wonderful thought and his hands were almost twitching to act his fantasy out. And since he knew she was no ordinary girl, he was sure that his plan was absolutely foolproof.

The blonde-haired girl in the distance turned to a bookshop and Beast Boy raised a confused brow but decided not to risk anything and wait until she came back. It didn't take her long to do so and the shape-shifter wondered what she had been doing in such a short amount of time but decided that keeping his eyes on Terra was more important than wondering what book she had wanted to read.

The girl let out a sigh before she continued into a street that didn't have as much traffic and in the distance, Beast Boy noticed a specific type of structure that Terra seemed to be headed towards and his heart began racing in anticipation…and slight worry – it was a subway.

Was she leaving Jump City behind – was she leaving herself behind?

The changeling narrowed his eyes, deciding to stop her from making a big mistake and his steps sped up until he was half jogging across the sidewalk. His feet suddenly began to feel heavy as his own voice echoed in his mind – his weaker self trying to deter him from his goal once again.

"No!"

Beast Boy's legs felt like they were shaking slightly before he replaced his worry with anger and determination and managed to break out into a run. The walking form of Terra loomed ever closer to him, sending waves of joy through him and those waves caused him to morph into a ram and with a sudden, quick leap…he rammed the girl full-force from behind.

Terra let out a surprised and painful cry before being propelled across the asphalt and landing in the middle of the street – just as a car was speeding towards her. Beast Boy morphed into a raven, perching on a branch of the nearest tree, watching the next events unfold.

Terra slowly got up to her knees before she managed to stand on shaky legs and looked around to see what had hit her…before she saw a car swerving sharply to the right and hitting her on her left side.

Terra's scream of pain caused the shape-shifter's own mind to scream as well and Beast Boy morphed back and held his head in an attempt force that voice out. Luckily, the driver of the other car was in a daze, giving him enough time to snatch Terra's backpack and scoop up its contents after the voice had died – a biology textbook, a bottle of water, a pencil case, a new set of clothes…and something that sparked his interest greatly as well as confused him.

In his hand…he held the torn, leathered notebook that conjured him into this world.

Could it be that she found it when he had walked out of that warehouse?

But what did she want with it?  
His gaze fell onto her bruised, unconscious form.

He had planned for her to activate her powers when she was about to get hit by that car – he knew her fear of her powers had always had great impact on her, whether for the better or for the worse.

And once her powers would go out of control…then she would openly admit – no, confess that she had made a big mistake. She would realize that she would always be Terra Markov and that she never belonged in a school.

This would proof her identity and in turn, cage her to her former life.

But somehow…she had resisted her nature. She had somehow let the car hit her. And once again, Beast Boy sneered at all the irony that surrounded the former titan. She had always found it easier to hurt herself to unspeakable amounts rather than to open up about herself – to open up to him.

And this hurt him as well – here he was, trying to help her regain her memory and all she does is hurt herself in the end, pretending that none of the events of her membership as a titan, her apprenticeship to Slade had ever even existed.

When would she stop lying?

He fisted his hands, staring down at the unconscious girl with cold eyes as the answer spun in his head.

When he could terrify her – and a cruel sneer spread on his face, knowing that there are so many ways to reawaken her powers – her worst fear.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Escape

Slowly, her eyelids opened and her world was suddenly filled with pain. Her chest, knee and shoulder of her left side hurt especially and she refrained from sitting up.

Where was she?

She let her eyes wander around and was faced with white walls, a night table with some medication and a nurse writing something on a clipboard.

"How do you feel?" the nurse asked, for a moment not taking her eyes off her clipboard as she noted something down.

Terra hesitated, feeling that even breathing almost hurt before she answered in a raspy voice. "Everything hurts…"

"I just have one question: How did the car hit you?" the nurse asked, this time looking at Terra.

She closed her eyes, trying to remember but all that happened wouldn't exactly tell her how she ended up on the street but only simply that it just happened. "I…I was walking…on the side-walk…a-and I don't know what happened – something hit me from behind – and…the next thing I remember is…that car hitting me…w-when I got to my feet," she rasped, flinching as a jolt of pain shot up to her head and her hand shot up to feel that her head was bandaged.

"What was it that hit you?" she continued.

So much for only one question.

"I-I…don't know. It…happened too fast," she mumbled with a hint of disappointment.

The nurse looked concerned. "Do you know if it could be that someone pushed you on purpose?"

Terra was surprised to hear this…but she didn't imagine anyone truly wanting to hurt her before her thoughts went back to her destroyed school – and to a certain voice that had tormented her from the speakers.

Could it have been him that destroyed her school?

"I…don't…know," she murmured, feeling a bit silly for giving this as her answer.

The nurse looked alarmed. "You know this is a serious matter and if you feel not safe would you like to stay under the protection of the police?"

Terra's eyes widened in surprise. The police – could they help her get away from him?

"I would only need your name."

Her hope vanished with that sentence, feeling once again trapped in her own lies.

"And I would have to let your parents know as well. I need their consent too."

Terra felt fear rising up in her stomach. She couldn't tell her name, even less bring up her parents – she ran away from them, and here she was living a life of someone who didn't even exist.

The girl let out a relieved sigh as the nurse was called to another patient's room and the woman turned to her one last time.

"I'll be right back. Until then, you can open this gift someone sent in for you," she smiled slightly, holding out a rectangular object wrapped in red gift paper.

Terra curiously took the rather heavy object before the nurse hurried out of the room. With slightly shaking fingers, she began tearing the wrapping away and the girl's eyes widened in shock and her heart kept beating a mile a minute as part of the gift was revealed to her. Her fingers shook more and her movements were frantic as she tore the rest of the wrapping away.

The gasp that forced itself out of her lungs left her breathless as she stared at the inscription on the sign that she held in her shivering hands and she wished she had been hit hard enough by that car so she turned amnesiac.

'Terra

A teen titan

A true friend'

He was here – it had been him!

He was the one that had almost caused her to get killed in that accident and she felt panic rising inside her and her eyes darted around to find a way out of the hospital.

She had to get out before he could get to her!

Terra ignored the pain that throbbed within her and shakily walked over to the window and opened it before throwing the damned object out of the window.

She slowly opened the door and peeked outside before hiding again as a doctor passed the hallway. After making sure nobody was there, she took flight and ran towards the left and hope spread through her, seeing the entrance door just at the end of the hallway.

"Hey! Come back here!"

Terra flinched at hearing the angered voice of one of the doctors and tried to run faster before a smile spread on her face as she managed to rush through the entrance door.

There was only one way for her to escape her past – she had to vanish from Jump City! She had to start a new life – were everyone would know her just as an ordinary school girl.

So the blonde-haired girl went to the only place she knew would get her out of Jump City the fastest – the subway station.

But first she had to find a disguise so the police wouldn't be able to identify her by her appearance and went to the closest clothes shop she knew…unknown to her that the haunting eyes of the changeling were already watching her as he soared in the sky as a robin.

Terra randomly chose a few clothes when she arrived at the shop – a red tank top, blue jeans and a black cap. Nervously, her eyes darted left and right before she simply bolted out of the shop, alarms blaring after her.

She had no money so how was she supposed to pay for them?  
The cashier was about to rush after her as he pulled out a walkie-talkie but was stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"She's with me," the green titan smiled, placing the needed amount of money on the counter before dashing after the girl, leaving a confused cashier behind.

The darkness finally vanished and her heavy eyelids opened. 3 familiar faces faced her and immediately, Raven bolted upright to hug them, ignoring the pain that cruised through her.

"You're…safe! I'm so glad to see you again!" she cried tearfully into the bodies of Robin, Starfire and Cyborg.

"Raven, I'm glad to see you are alive as well," a voice spoke and the half-demon moved away to see her mother smiling at her with tears in her eyes.

"Mother…" Raven managed to get out before falling into her arms. "I'm so happy to see you."

"It's alright! Please tell me what happened. Why did you come back to Azarath?"

Raven moved away, her expression fearful as she remembered the looming tower as it was about to collapse on her. But she escaped death – she had managed to teleport herself and the others to her home.

Raven lowered her gaze, remembering the grey changeling. "I'm…scared. I don't know how…but father might soon come back – my secret notebook has been used."

Her mother gave a worried glance at her.

"I don't know how to stop it! We are all in danger and I don't know how to destroy that notebook – Beast Boy must have used it and now his evil self is set free and I don't know how to stop it!"

Her mother placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry!"

Raven was confused by that statement.

"I should have never given you that notebook…but I couldn't stand seeing you struggling with your darker side – with your demonic side and I searched for a way for you to be able to separate your human side from your demonic one…unknown that your father's magic was influencing it. I'm so sorry!"

Raven hugged her mother lovingly. "It's not your fault. Just tell me how I can destroy Beast Boy's evil self and that notebook so it may never be used again," the half-demon said heatedly before her mother shook her head.

"You may be able to defeat the evil entity of your friend but that notebook is indestructible…unless the darkness of the conjurer destroys it himself," she stated glumly and Raven growled visibly.

She got up, the others watching with worry after her. "If the notebook's not able to be destroyed, then I will at least try to warn Beast Boy – he might be the only one that can stop this now," she said before using her magic to open a portal to Jump City.

"We will stop this before Trigon will even be able to set foot on your home or ours," Robin stated reassuringly and Arella managed a small smile before the 4 heroes jumped through the portal.

She kept running – running so fast she almost tripped a few times over her own feet. The alarms were long not audible anymore but her feet kept moving like they had a life of their own.

"Got to get away…got to get away…"

That thought repeated in her mind as fast as her heart was beating and Terra darted down the stairs of the subway station, having the strange feeling…that someone was watching her. She slowed down, taking a look behind her…but the station remained still.

"A-anybody there?" she called awkwardly before turning away.

That was a stupid thing to do.

The blonde-haired girl found a restroom and decided to go inside to change. When she had done so, she first looked left and right before stepping out into the station again and moved closer to the rails before watching the darkness of the tunnel.

Two yellow beams of light appeared in the darkness and Terra felt excited to leave this city behind.

Finally she could start her life as nobody – as someone new!

Her thought was interrupted when she heard fast approaching footsteps – only a few meters behind her.

Had the police found her in the end?

Terra spun around in fright. "It's not what-"

Her words refused to leave her lungs, like something was choking her, suffocating her. Her eyes widened in utter horror and for a moment, all strength left her body.

She came face to face with a green wolf that leaped at her and she knew that he had been watching her all along. Uttering a cry of pain, Terra flew backwards from the hit landing painfully onto the rails before a loud horn blared, yellow lights flashing right into her face.

Beast Boy watched her. Would she use her powers now – now that her life was seriously in danger? The voice in his head voiced his pain.

"Help her!"

The shape-shifter remained still, seeing the train approaching the ex-titan.

Would she break away from being a normal girl?

"Please help her…" his voice in his head was more desperate but Beast Boy remained motionless.

Terra's eyes closed, the pain probably being too much for her to bear and the shape-shifter took one step forward.

And it didn't take the train long to speed into the station before letting passengers off or into the train. And then the train moved out of the station.

But no trace of the blonde-haired girl was left on the bare rails.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Control

She knew she was dead! She saw the train run her over – she felt the pain spreading through her body like insects crawling over her skin.

So why could she open her eyes and see a brick wall?

With some effort, she managed to get into sitting position and the only light that was present was a single light bulb in what seemed to be a hall – a storage room?

Terra stood up reluctantly and her eyes searched for the door. She had to get away as soon as possible. And Terra's eyes opened wide, seeing something large written with white chalk on the wall she was staring at – it was her name!

'Terra Markov.'

Terra tore her eyes away, the image of the green changeling floating in her mind before she tried focusing to find the door. Her eyes roamed over another wall.

'Terra Markov.' It was written in the same white chalk and she looked away again, her search increasing in pace but stopped on another part of the wall before moving to the wall behind her. She spun around again, as the letters of her name taunted her as they stared back at her.

'Terra Markov.' Wherever she looked, her name was on every area of the walls that surrounded her, like her own name was surrounding her, caging her and Terra stepped back.

"W-what kind of game is this? I…I'm not Terra!" the girl stammered, trying to find the door in slowly increasing panic.

But her own name hid it from her fearful eyes and all she saw was the white of the chalk that had been used – it was almost blinding her!

'Terra Markov…Terra Markov…Terra…Terra…Terra…'

Her mind spun with those words imprinted onto the walls and the blonde-haired girl almost heard the chant inside her head and she took another step back, her hands lifted as if to shield her from an invisible force that tried to take over her mind.

Terra squeezed her eyes shut but the words were already visible in her mind and her fear managed to get the better of her. "What do you want from me?" she cried, holding her head in an attempt to make the words vanish – to wake up from this nightmare…only for something to keep her awake.

"Terra…"

That sound was like a stab to her heart and the blonde-haired girl snapped her eyes open, her eyes wide with phobia.

It's not real…it's not real…he's not here…

She tried to tell herself these words but her name that still echoed through the empty hall told her otherwise. "I want to help you," Beast Boy's voice echoed off the walls.

She didn't need any help – she was perfectly fine…until her school blew up – until she was reminded of the things that had been done to her, she had done…and was destined to keep doing.

"L-leave me alone! I…told you I'm not Terra," she said slowly, not able to feel angry to get him away from her.

Didn't he realize that she didn't want to be Terra?

"And I remember you admitting that you lied," he spoke and the girl clenched her hands to fists, remembering that she had indeed admitted so.

"I-I…just lied about…not being happy with my life. I never admitted being Terra," she said, trying to keep her voice leveled.

"And this is exactly how Terra always felt – until she met us," the changeling retorted. "You remember, don't you?"

Terra hunched a bit forward, as if this might give her some sort of protection, her back still facing the voice. "I…don't."

"Another lie? Come on! It's not like hiding from yourself is doing you any good. It only proves that you're weak-willed – that you're just a sad, little girl waiting for a prince Charming," the changeling uttered with a hint of disappointment.

"I'm not weak-willed because I'm not Terra!" she cried, remembering how Slade managed to toy with her – all because of her fear of her powers.

But now she had no powers – no memory of ever having them. And this must make her brave.

So why was she still scared?

"Your powers tell differently," the changeling muttered, his voice a bit closer now but Terra had the feeling that his voice came from all over.

"I don't have any powers," the girl replied in a low voice and the changeling couldn't help but smirk.

It was almost like she wanted to return to her old life – to help him destroy his weaker half that had started protesting again as his left hand shook slightly, a futile attempt at stopping him.

The changeling managed to fist his hand and cocked his head in amusement. "Let me prove it to you," he said in a low voice.

His footsteps began echoing through the hallway and the girl froze.

Where was he?

She slowly turned around. "There is nothing-" she cried before jumping to the side, barely escaping a gorilla that had slammed his fists against the ground but he wasn't done and now swung sideways, catching the girl in her side, sending her rolling onto the floor.

Terra managed to get up, hearing faster footsteps approaching her and saw a wolf leaping at her. Terra managed to jump aside but wasn't quick enough as the wolf suddenly turned around and managed to get her arm between his jaws.

The girl let out a pained cry as the fangs dug into her skin before she forced her eyes open and punched the wolf full force into its snout and with a whimper, the wolf let go before Terra followed with a kick into its belly, sending it rolling across the ground.

The wolf morphed into a falcon before coming to a stop and gracefully perched on the windowsill of a window close to the ceiling of the hall. Terra gripped her bleeding arm, the burning sensation still strong.

Why was Beast Boy attacking her?

She remembered when he had pleaded with her to come back to the team…and now he was trying to kill her?

Terra stared at the falcon, not breaking eye contact. "Why…are you attacking me?" she called after she took a deep breath.

The falcon didn't move for a moment – he didn't want to – the real Beast Boy would never want to harm even a single hair of her.

But that side of him didn't survive.

The falcon reluctantly dropped, talons aiming for her face, scratching her arm instead as she tried to protect herself before charging again. This time, Terra lashed out her fist, causing the falcon to fly backwards from the hit…but still avoided a fall.

The falcon dropped nonetheless before morphing into her former teammate and his smug expression erased part of her fear.

Instead, she was angry.

"Stop this nonsense, Beast Boy!"

He laughed at her – it was some time he hadn't seen her angry…and he knew his plan was working. Anger was always an effective factor in getting out some hidden potential of someone.

The Beast was a perfect example of this.

"Nonsense? What you're doing is nonsense, Terra," he muttered as he started approaching and he felt his heart flutter in his chest, seeing Terra taking a step back.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"I wasn't more myself than now. But I can't say the same thing about you," the shape-shifter said and Terra stepped back further when she realized that her back hit a wall.

She was trapped – trapped with someone that Beast Boy was not. "I told you I don't have any powers and…I never was Terra!"

"Liar!" he growled back, taking her by surprise when he suddenly charged at her with an outstretched fist.

She moved her head sideways and countered with her own punch into his face before adding her knee to it. He tripped backwards and Terra found herself…worrying for him.

No, she shouldn't.

"Beast Boy…I'm-" she got cut off when she had moved a bit closer to him as he hunched forward in pain before he slammed her head against the wall.

A bright light formed in her eyes for a moment before the smirking face of the titan loomed close to her face.

"And what do those moves tell you – that Slade taught you almost as good as Robin?" he spoke and her fear and anger rose at the mention of the masked villain.

"I don't know…what you're talking about," she groaned and tried punching him again but he blocked it, letting his palm wrap around her fist.

"You know very well what I'm getting at."

His other hand trailed over her clothes, briefly stopping at the red fabric of her top. "And trust me, changing your appearance will not fool anyone," he muttered and Terra felt her breath hitch, seeing him lightly tug on the fabric that was over her shoulder…as if he wanted to slide it off.

"Don't touch me!" she growled and he let out an amused chuckle.

"I have more than that planned for you," he spoke and that sentence seemed to linger in the air and the blonde-haired girl wished she could just sink into the wall behind her.

Terra tried gaining help from her leg to stop her situation from going any further than this…but there was simply no space to move and her heartbeat picked up its pace before she let her palm of her hand shoot towards him. Unfortunately, he caught that hand too and slowly, he increased the pressure on her palm – on her fingers especially until a jolt of pain ran through her as her fingers kept bending backwards.

"And this is just the beginning," the green boy uttered as the girl screamed in pain.

Clenching her teeth, her fist broke free from his grip and she sent it into his face, creating some distance and she charged again before the changeling's hands managed to grab her by her throat, catching her by surprise.

She was once again slammed against the wall as the grip on her throat tightened by the moment and she tried scratching and pulling on his arm to get him off her.

This wasn't Beast Boy she decided – this was a complete psycho!

She noticed his hand disappearing behind his belt before reappearing again and the blurry surrounding turned sharp again as she saw what he held out for her to see before putting it carefully into her golden hair.

It was her butterfly hairclip and a sudden surge of energy flooded through her and with a ferocious snarl, she managed to head-butt the changeling as memories of her early childhood flashed in her mind.

He toppled over and Terra dropped to the floor, trying to get as much air into her as possible. But she knew she couldn't rest for long and using her elbows, slowly crawled away from the wall, her eyes still trying to find the door – the escape in her tilting surrounding.

Was that a crack in the ground behind the changeling?

She turned her head again, moving slowly further away from the shape-shifter…and after a few more staggering movements…she noticed a rectangular outline that was covered by part of her name. Terra made her way towards it, flinching occasionally as her injured hand protested at being moved too much.

And her heart made a leap as she saw the metal handle and she reached her hand out to grab it in an attempt to get up – to escape Beast Boy's crazed fantasies about her.

She let out a low cry of surprise, feeling something wrap around her ankle, preventing her from getting up before something began pulling her backwards and Terra dug her fingers in the ground to stop the movement. And she winched in pain, feeling painful shudders coming from her broken hand yet refused to let go.

But the pull was too strong.

"No! No – let me go! Let me go - please…"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Kill or be killed

"Why in such a hurry?" the changeling's voice came from behind her and panic rose inside her and with a fearful cry, she let her free foot slam right into his face and create some distance and Terra quickly scrambled to her feet and ran against the door before moving the handle down with a strong push.

Her eyes stared blankly at her hand that gripped the handle and kept pushing it down in an increasingly faster motion.

The door wouldn't budge.

It was locked!

Terra turned around suddenly. "Where's the key?"

And as an answer, she got knocked down by a bear paw, a gash engraved on her cheek. Terra struggled to get up on her healthy hand and briefly bit her lip from the pain…before suddenly something pulled her back to the floor. Something was on her leg…and it was moving upwards. Fear gripped her and she just managed to sit up before feeling scales move to her arms as well, successfully keeping them restrained and Terra felt panic rise in her as she felt the air leaving her lungs. She tried twisting to get free but it only had the effect that she dropped back down to the floor and Terra saw with horror that a large snake was coiling around her, now covering waist and thighs as well and squirming became increasingly difficult…until she couldn't move anymore.

The snake's head slithered over to her head, hovering as its eyes stared into her and the girl squeezed her eyes shut as soon as the head came into view.

"N-no…" she rasped as if that word would scare the snake away and the changeling felt elevated at hearing that pained whimper of utter horror.

She would never recover from this experience…unfortunately she still refused to use her powers. The snake coiled further and Terra uttered a pained cry as the snake felt some bone break inside her.

How many bones was he forced to break until she would accept herself?

The surrounding turned blurry and the former Titan felt her strength fading, not even having enough energy to voice her pain as she felt another of her ribs breaking from the pressure.

She wanted to vanish – to cease existing. She couldn't live in this nightmare…and soon she would leave. The large snake felt her relaxing and the changeling was…disappointed.

Was she trying to get herself killed?

It wouldn't come to that.

He had plans for her after all.

The pressure lifted from her and it took a while for her to open her eyes, blurred colors dancing in front of her. Her breathing was ragged and each time she inhaled, jolts of pain traveled to her chest.

She had definitely a broken rib.

The girl managed to tilt her head slightly, and the outline of the door on the wall gave her newfound hope.

Get up!

She was trying to encourage herself…but she felt so weak…so…sleepy…

She was tired…of running.

Her eyes closed for a moment…before she heard his voice in her head – her own voice and she whispered the words from her past.

"I-It's…never…too late…"

Her hand moved towards her neck, suddenly feeling the furry animal that had perched onto her shoulder before the bat that had been feasting on her flew out of collision course with her palm.

Terra shakily brought her hand closer after coming into contact with something wet and she saw her palm stained with her blood. And she repeated the words a bit louder now before gradually getting onto her knees. "It's…never…too late…"

The changeling raised a confused eyebrow, hearing his words coming from her mouth and slowly approached her. How right she was! It was never too late to make her realize who she was supposed to be.

Terra managed to get on shaky legs, her body still hurting from the torture she had been put under before taking a step forward, eyes fixed at the outline of her escape. "…never…too late…"

Slowly, she placed one foot over the other, hope slowly getting back to her every time she repeated those words – it was her oath.

"…never too late…It's never too late…"

She reached the door, deciding to use all strength she had left to try to break it down and she had just taken a step back for momentum when something slammed at her from behind and she hit the door before dropping to the ground, cringing as a shudder passed through her.

"I think you gotta speak up," the changeling grinned, watching as Terra struggled to get up from the floor.

"…n-never…"

Images of her apprenticeship flashed before her eyes, images as she struggled against at the suit's control over her and she thought that if she had endured the pain Slade had put under her…then she could also survive this.

"…too…"

Terra slowly got up from her kneeling position, trying to ignore the pain that gnawed at her nerves like a swarm of mice before taking another deep breath. '…late…" Having said the last word, the girl found herself standing, her shivering legs threatening to drop her at any moment.

"For accepting that you're a Titan – yes," the shape-shifter muttered, his eyes wandering over her fragile body before resting on her determined expression as he took a step towards her.

Terra let out a weak cry of anger, lashing out with her fist but the changeling blocked her attack before it reached his face.

"For trying to think you can keep denying this? No," he muttered coldly and morphed into a panther. Before Terra could evade, the green cat had engraved a gash on her side, causing her to roll against the wall next to the door.

Terra gripped her bleeding side and gradually got up again, the sounds of approaching footsteps giving her the energy needed to do this. And when she faced the source of the footsteps, a gasp escaped her as she saw the image of an orange and black mask.

"Hello, Terra…"

His voice was coming from her ears directly but when she felt the gloved hand grab her throat, Salde's face vanished to be replaced by her former friend's.

"Let…me…go…" Terra muttered through clenched teeth as one of her hands wrapped around his arm to get him off…but the pain cruising through her was not making it easy.

"And just let you slip through my fingers?" he mused, letting his hand close around her throat a little tighter and a smirk pulled on his lips, feeling her shiver. He thought he wouldn't have to damage her beyond this point but she seemed sturdier than he thought at first.

And it amused him.

"I like to see you struggle."

Terra stared at him in a look between disgust and disbelief.

This was definitely not Beast Boy!

"You're…c-crazy," she spat out and he laughed like she just told him a joke and Terra's anger in her expression faded when she felt his thumb run over the red gash on her face, causing her flinch at the burning sensation.

His expression seemed to soften as he smiled at her and the blonde-haired girl felt her heart beat in her throat, as he smeared the blood of her gash a bit more.

Terra shut her eyes as her hand on her side clutched the wound tighter. She had to stop the bleeding somehow!

"I never denied being crazy about you..."

She had to stop him somehow!

The blonde-haired girl tried to get her powers to work – only her powers could save her now. But why wouldn't they work? Come on!

That's it…concentrate!

If she managed to activate her powers now…then there was no turning back.

His grip suddenly loosened on the girl and the Titan noticed that it wasn't him doing that. "What?"

With a shaking hand, Beast Boy let go of the girl and he clenched his teeth angrily. "Get out of my head," he growled and Terra opened her eyes, seeing him trying to get control of his shivering hand.

"No, Terra!"

His weaker self was back! He couldn't let that happen again.

"Don't do it! It's a trap!" the voice in his head shouted and the green changeling managed to fist his hand and morphed into the Beast, using his primal instincts to suppress his other self.

Unfortunately, for a moment he lost control over his more ferocious transformation and the Beast raised his dangerous claws at Terra.

The claws dropped…and the girl let out a ferocious howl of her own as her eyes and hands shone golden, before knocking the Beast back with a large piece from the floor.

Her powers were back!

The large rock changed shape to turn into a spear before zooming towards the large beast. But it evaded by becoming a crow and the spear lodged itself into the wall, a large crack forming.

More cracks appeared under Terra's feet, spreading across the walls and ceiling, running over each of her names like her powers were trying to break, to destroy her identity.

The crow had vanished as the ground in the hall began crumbling, pieces of it floating in the air as if gravity itself had been wiped from existence.

"Can you deny who you are now?" Beast Boy called over the rumbling of the hall and Terra's expression filled with shock.

"No! That's not me!" she shouted in sudden realization, trying to stop her powers…but the cracks kept running over the white chalk that spelled out her name over and over again.

"Don't lose control! Don't lose control!"

Her words were getting increasingly panicking and her hands grabbed her head. "Please don't lose control…" she begged, once again turning into the lost child she had been in the past.

The changeling couldn't tear his eyes away from her and he didn't even hear his own frantic scream of her name that resonated in his head – he had waited so long for him to see her like this – to see her at the brink of hopelessness – on the edge of giving in to her past.

The past that was destined to keep Terra chained to him…and for his other half to vanish forever.

All that he needed now was to give her that final push into her dark abyss.


End file.
